Angel With A Shotgun
by It's-A-Passion
Summary: Tessa didn't know if she believed in God, but when she's thrust right into the middle of the human extermination by freaking angels, well...maybe there was some truth to the whole religion thing. All she wanted was enough money for her family to live on. Now, all she wanted was to survive the impending apocalypse, in a world gone to shit, with a badass archangel at her side. M/OC.
1. What Tessa Sullivan Didn't Need

**Hey guys, so I have a million other stories I should be continuing, but I thought it'd be fun to write this. It's in 3rd person, but I usually write in 1st person, so if I switch please tell me! I trying out a different style.**

**The first time I watched Legion, it scared the crap out of me. I mean, seriously, that kid? Freak-y! I'm pretty sure I didn't sleep for a month! The second time, I realized, it wasn't so bad, and I could totally write a fanfiction for it.**

**So, I hope you Enjoy it!**

_Chapter One: What Tessa Sullivan Didn't Need_

There were a few things in life that Tessa Sullivan knew with absolute certainty she did not need.

She didn't need a mower. Probably because she lived on the third floor of a crap-tastic apartment complex.

She didn't need bird paper clips. Probably because she hated birds.

She didn't need a self-heating butter knife. Probably because she didn't like butter.

She didn't need a type writer. Probably because in this era, it was just impractical.

She didn't need a submarine/boat combo. Probably because, despite being pretty cool, she lived closer to the freaking desert than any large body of water.

And she certainly didn't need a man to come into her life and _fix_ her, _save_ her, before moving on to the next stimulating activity and probably breaking her damn heart. Because Tessa Sullivan didn't need saving. No sir-ee.

She wasn't some damsel-in-distress-wish-on-a-star-for-a-better-lif e-song-singing-hair-twirling princess who needed a knight in shining armor to swoop in and make everything better. Tessa had made her bed, and now she was lying in it. And if she couldn't hack it, she shouldn't have made the damn bed in the first place.

She knew that.

Sweat and sex clung in the air.

It was an acquired scent.

Strobe lights flashed around the room of the somewhat-shady establishment. A bar lined one wall and there was a long platform stage running through the middle of the room, resembling the shape of a straight-edged tree; the 'trunk' giving way to extending 'branches'. There was also a back area for the more intimate arrangements, and the wealthy clients and patrons. Scantily clad women carried trays of drinks around the room while men gawked up at the stage.

Tessa twirled herself around the pole on stage, her fish-net stocking and ridiculously high-heel clad feet and legs kicking into the air. Men held up cash and she shimmied her way over provocatively. The whale bone of her blood-red and black lacey corset dug into her skin. Her almond-shaped, kohl-rimmed eyes smoldered under lowered lashes, her red painted lips pushed into a teasing pout. Strands of her wildly curling, untamable hair stuck to her forehead.

She swung her hips in tune to the thumping of the music, and on command to cheers, she slowly lowered her skirt. More money was held up.

In the crowd, she saw Tiffany, probably her closest friend, leading a man back towards the private, closed off booths. Spotting Tessa, she threw a wink her way, a devilish smile lifting her lips.

For the rest of her performance, her corset and matching boy-leg underwear stayed on. She wasn't here to take her clothes off for these men. She was here to dance. Albeit, it wasn't what she had in mind when she told her parents she wanted to be a dancer.

She could read the men in the crowd like open books and she was completely in control; you got used to the types who came in, and it became easier to spot them. The guy right in front of her, whose eyes hadn't left the top of corset all night liked to be in control; he liked it _too_ much and he associated violence with sex way too closely. The guy in the corner, nervously twisting the ring on his finger loved his wife and was shit-scared of her finding out about his frequent night trips to the club, but enough to stop coming. The guy at the bar with his mates was actually gay and had the hots for his blonde friend on his right, despite being a partaker in occasional homophobic, gay-putdowns.

"What would your daddy say if he saw you now?" a man leered, his polo shirt slightly disheveled and his eyes glazed. Smashed out of his mind. He looked close to trying to get up on the stage to join her. Which is why bouncers stood around the room, for when patrons got too grabby and over-eager.

"Well…" Tessa pursed her lips, pretending to think, her gut lurching. Yeah, because this was what she wanted to be doing with her damn life. She rolled her hips, dipping low. Maybe she should be ashamed of what she did at night, but she didn't give much of a crap anymore. Tessa was a strong girl; she could take a lot, and she wasn't some sniveling girl who'd curl into a ball and cry when life dealt her a harsh hand. She'd take it in her stride, deal with it and move the fuck on. No one said life was easy; she'd learned that the hard way. You pay for your mistakes. Or, in this case, other's mistakes. But you pay for them.

Five years ago, her parents died in a car crash. A horrible, heart-wrenching, tear-jerking tragedy. Marred only by the fact that they were in the middle of a getaway plan in which they'd attempted to leave Tessa, and her younger brother and sister in the middle of their embezzlement/con plan that went sour. Yeah, some parents. Dealing with her parents deaths was hard enough for a nineteen year old. Throw in two more mouths to feed, both of whom she had no idea how to handle, and then the massive amount of debt her parents owed, and Tessa was way in over her head.

"He'd probably tell me the women in my family only undress for their husbands," Tessa replied truthfully.

Some of the men chuckled, but Tessa was stuck on memory lane.

Either way, they left behind their debt for her to take care of, along with a five-year old and a two-year old. The debt collectors rolled around and they said goodbye to their nice, suburban house, their belongings, and the life they used to know. Tessa had no idea what she was doing. She dropped out of dance school, took up a job that definitely didn't pay enough for the three of them; for clothes, food, their crappy apartment, school fees, and the debt.

That was when Ziggy found her. Ziggy owned the establishment, promised a lot of money, money they desperately needed. At first, she refused. She had more self-respect than that, to sell her body out. But then they came to an arrangement; she could keep two items of clothing on, and she didn't have to give lap dances, or sex to anyone, she could keep any money the men (and sometimes women) handed to her as well as her pay.

Instead, she danced every night, and she had a theme; she was a tease. She started promptly at seven, when the majority of men started piling in. She was a promise of everything they could have, everything to come, but they didn't get to touch her. Ziggy said every good establishment needed an allure, and she was it.

She finished her dance rotation, going back stage to freshen up her make up while other girls went on stage. She headed to the bar, grabbed a tray and began circulating before her next dance. She didn't get very far before hands were on her.

A common occurrence considering where she spent her nights.

What was it with guys? Just because she danced like that didn't mean they had any right to touch her unless she said so. She stepped out of their hands, turning and giving a playful smirk.

"You don't get to touch," she said, her voice lilting.

"I have money," he said.

"You still don't get to touch," she laughed, beginning to weave her way through the crowd, hips swaying. She was there to make sure they tried extra hard to get another girl, to spend money.

The funny thing was, a lot of the girls didn't want to get out of this game, not in the way Tessa did. She was only twenty four and hadn't been on a proper date in five years. How could she when from nine to three she worked at a supermarket, and from seven to two she worked at this club? Her whole life got put on hold, and she doubted it'd change anytime soon.

The guy was persistent, Tessa'd give him that. Sweat covered his face in a sheen, his eyes too small for his round face and his white shirt undone at the top, his tie loosened. Tessa considered him; stuck in a loveless marriage, he came here for obvious reasons and he liked control. As soon as Tessa moved them out of their crappy apartment, she was going back to school, but not for dance. She was past her prime for that. Instead, she was considering psychology. But since the IRS took most of the money she earned from the supermarket, it'd be a while off yet.

"What's your name?" he asked, his eyes stuck on the tops of her breasts.

You'd think they'd have the decency to look you in the eye, but oh no, that would be too polite. Who was she kidding? Guys only came here for one reason, and it wasn't for her dazzling conversational skills.

"Vixen," she said automatically, her fake name given away easily.

"I bet you are," he said lecherously and she had to stop the grimace.

_Yeah, and if I didn't have a debt to pay, rent coming up and school fees due, I'd sock you one, _she thought irritably.

From the moment a guy walked in, he ceased thinking with his upstairs brain and seemed to think every woman he laid eyes on was there to please him, was his for the taking. She'd seen hundreds of guys just like him walk in with the same expectations.

"I guess you'll never know," She laughed, turning to walk away. He grabbed her arm and spun her back around. That was another thing she didn't need; some jerk getting touchy and who didn't understand the implications of the word 'no'.

"I said I had money," he growled forcefully, clearing taking her rejection personally.

"_And I said you don't get to touch_," she snarled, dropping the empty tray and grabbing his thumb, twisting it to release his grip. He hissed, drawing his hand away in pain. That one, the girls had taught her, for when a guy like this douche got too hands-on.

"Bitch!"

"Is there a problem here?" A smooth, calm voice cut across and she looked up at Ziggy. His shoulder length brown hair was pulled back at the nape of his neck, his broad shoulders bulking, arms crossed across a lean, fit chest. Ziggy was hot; he had the whole, sexy but with an undercurrent of danger thing going for him.

"No," the guy said, eyes narrowing at Ziggy before turning a glare on Tessa. "Nothing." And he walked away.

For a second, there was silence between the two, then Ziggy grinned, "No one can say I don't look after my girls."

"No, I guess they can't say _that_," She laughed. "But I had it sorted."

"Sure you did."

"I did!" She said, crossing her arms defiantly in a mimicry of his own posture.

"Okay," he said, like he didn't believe her, before turning away and heading off to wherever it was he went when he didn't feel like popping up suddenly and warning off the too-aggressive ones.

Tessa sighed and lifted the tray, hoping her shift would end sooner rather than later.

.

.

.

It was two in the morning when Tessa finished.

She showered in the locker room quickly, swapping her corset and matching panties for a fitted plain shirt and slightly too big khaki pants she came in wearing. Both were from a thrift store. The hot water washed away the sweat and the sickening scent clinging to her skin, reminding her of her night activities.

She signed out, collected her pay, and said goodbye to Ziggy and Tiffany, before exiting out the back door, heading down the twisting alley to her car down further. The alley was a hide-away for a lot of junk, and it always made her uneasy walking past it all. She rummaged around in her large handbag for her keys to her beat up old ford. At this time of night, she liked to be prepared when she got to her car.

Or, she used to think she was prepared. When she looked back up, a guy was suddenly there, a couple meters down from her. Her heartbeat sped up when he stayed where he was, his body turned in her direction. In the dark of the early morning, she couldn't see much about him. He could just be waiting there. But better safe than sorry; she turned around to head back to get Ziggy to walk her to her car.

And stopped dead.

Another guy was at the other end, heading towards her slowly, with carefully measured steps. Threatening steps.

Then panic set in.

She didn't know what to do, and decided to keep walking in the direction of her car; the guy stalking towards her was more menacing then the other, who could just be there by coincidence. A couple steps later, and she knew that wasn't true. He pushed himself off the wall and blocked her way.

Her breathing accelerated as her fingers fumbled for the pepper spray in her bag.

Just as her fingers met the cool metal of the can, a rough hand grabbed her arm. She whirled around, bringing the spray up and aiming it right into his eyes, kicking at his shins at the same time.

His hand drew back more in shock than pain and she turned and ran.

Because his eyes were blacker than the night. And his teeth were filed to points. And it looked _fucking real._

Fingers clawed at her back, ripping her shirt and she screamed. _Phone_, she needed her phone.

She found out it was hard to search in a bag while running for your life.

The guy ahead of her just blocked her way, waiting for her to get to him. A hand wrapped around her upper arm, the momentum swinging her around and slamming her into the brick wall of the alley. She fell to the ground, eyes watering at the pain blasting in her head. She didn't let herself focus on it. She let out a scream to let someone know she was here and she needed help. She doubted anyone heard her.

Her fingers rasped against the concrete ground, shredding her fingers and knuckles as she searched for a weapon, anything to fight back with. Because she wasn't going to just roll over and let shit happen. If she was going to die, she was going to inflict as much damage as she could.

Because this wasn't a mugging, otherwise they would have grabbed her bag and run. They hadn't.

They converged on her and she threw the closest thing to her at them. She heard a crash. No cry of pain, no grunt, no nothing.

"You're all going to burn," he said, but the voice that issued from his mouth was a far cry from normal. It was deep. Dangerous and completely void of emotion. What the fuck were they?

Black eyes peered down at her indifferently. Pointed teeth. A hand grabbed her throat, lifting her up, and her hands flew out, searching for something. Hard, cold metal met her fingers and she wasted no time in swinging it at them, slamming it into their heads.

They left go, and she saw blood. Good to know they bled like a human. Then she heard a yell.

"Tessa, get down!"

She did it, dropping to the ground as she heard a loud crack. A gunshot. And another and another. And there were two bodies beside her. She looked up to see Ziggy running down the alley, and he hauled her up, eyes sweeping over her, "Are you okay?"

"Um…thanks." she had no idea. She had no idea what was going on, because they hadn't been human. They couldn't be. "Did you see...?"

"Their eyes?" That was answer enough. Tessa picked up her bag and keys. They looked at each other before hurrying down the alley that took them to the carpark out on the street further down from the club.

And came across a world gone to hell.

Car alarms were wailing into the air, and there was fire around, people running, screaming, and more of those horrible, emotionless voices. "Fuck."

"Oh my God," she whispered. "What's going on?"

"I don't fucking know," he said. "But I think it's time to fucking go. Get yourself home. Fucking pray."

Tessa wasn't sure about the praying bit; she didn't know if she even believed God was real. But the leaving bit she was all for.

"Going," she said, bolting from the edge of the alley for her car. A second later, she threw it into reverse and pulled out, speeding home. It was the same everywhere. People running for cover. Shots were fired at her car, and she saw more black eyes.

When she made it to their apartment, it was the same there. Fear spiked in her chest, and her fingers shook. She lived in a bad part of town, but this was just crazy. There were gunshots, screaming.

Tessa took the stairs two at a time and unlocked the door. The chain stopped her. "It's me!"

The chain was unlocked and she slammed the door behind her. Arms flew around her, "What's going on?" Amy asked, her blonde hair falling in her brown eyes, which landed on Tessa's forehead. "What happened to your head?"

Tessa frowned, lifting a hand up and feeling dried blood. Probably from when she got slammed into the brick wall.

Dylan grabbed her other side, his substantially smaller frame trying to hold onto Tessa as tightly as his fingers could grip, "I'm scared."

"I don't know what's happening. But we're leaving. Right now. Pack your stuff," she commanded. They didn't move and she couldn't blame them. They didn't know what was happening, what to do. She didn't either; all she knew was that she had to get them away. Far away from the city. Something big was happening and she was going to make sure they were safe. "_Go_."

They went and so did she, flinging her bedroom door open and grabbing clothes, shoving it into a duffle bag, anything she could grab that would fit. She pulled out a wooden box from under her bed, unlocked it and grabbed out the handgun. It had been her dad's, and in a place like this, it paid to have protection.

She grabbed another bag and went to the kitchen, shoving any food that could last in the heat into it, as well as bottles of water.

Ten minutes later, they were in her car, and Tessa was reversing them out onto the road and heading out of the city, into the Mojave Desert.

She didn't need the freaking end of the world. That, she was absolutely sure of. There weren't enough hours in her day to deal with this shit.

**Well...What'd you think?**

**Continue or not?**


	2. Paradise Falls Or, shit hole central

_Chapter Two: Paradise Falls. Or, shit hole central._

When the petrol light came on, Tessa really began to panic.

You know, because she _wanted_ to be stuck in the middle of the freaking dessert with a limited food and water supply, with her younger brother and sister, in the middle of the freaking end of the world.

So yeah, she was a little stressed. It was understandable.

Her fingers tightened on the steering wheel and she glanced back at Amy and Dylan. It pissed her off that the world had to go to shit _now_. You'd think it could've held off for just a couple more years. Given them more time to _live_.

The sun had been hovering around its apex for a while now, but she hadn't passed any other cars. And she hadn't seen any petrol stations. And she was so damn tired. She hadn't slept in over 24 hours. She glanced at Amy and Dylan again.

Dylan had finally fallen asleep, the wild curls of his hair, exactly like Tessa's, splayed across the leather covering of the back seat, next to Amy. Amy hadn't slept yet either, her brown eyes were wide and frightened. Tessa hated seeing such a scared expression on her face.

Just yesterday everything had been normal. She'd been called in to see the principal because Amy had been fighting. Tessa was given a lecture by the principal on the school's no-bullying no-violence policy, like she was the one who pushed over the other kid. That kid had been picking on Dylan in the first place, and Tessa had pressed two fingers to the bridge of her nose, trying not to let all her issues suffocate her.

She'd had to finish up work early, which meant less hours, which meant less money. She'd had to explain to Amy that violence was never the answer, that it wasn't okay to push someone over, no matter how mean they were being, but then when she saw the kid seated outside, the one she'd pushed over who was twice Amy's size, she almost wanted to applaud her. But that would have been wrong. She couldn't afford for things to go wrong with Amy and Dylan, because one slip up, one serious issue, and they'd be taken away from her, split up and given to foster families. And Tessa wasn't going to let that happen.

Sighing, Tessa rubbed her tired eyes. When she opened them, she spotted a blimp on the horizon. She kept her eyes glued to it as she got closer. When she made out the vague shape of a building, she crossed her fingers, hoping it was a gas station, hoping they'd get there before the car died.

_Pease, please, let us make it there, please_, she thought.

"Come on," she muttered.

Dylan jerked awake, blinking around. He was seven years old and he had a hooded expression on his face when he realized where he was and why. He bit his lip, "Tessa?"

"Yeah buddy?"

"Are we going to die?"

"No."

"Then…I'm hungry," he bit his lip guiltily.

Tessa nearly laughed. She would have, if the situation wasn't so dire, what with people turning into weird human-but-not creatures saying everyone was going to burn and trying to kill her. She looked up at the growing shape that now looked properly like a building. She hoped those were gas pumps out the front.

Then the engine spluttered out. "No, no, no!" She slammed her hands onto the steering wheel in exasperation. "We were almost there!"

The car rolled to a stop. Tessa stared at her hands, sighing. "Looks like we're walking. Come on."

She leaned over to the glove box, grabbing the map, switch blade and emergency cash she always stored in there, shoving it into her pockets. She got out, shoving the gun into the back of her pants waistband. Opening the boot, she swapped her slip on shoes she was wearing when they left off, searching for her hiking boots and pulling them on. It was a fair walk and it was sunny. She squinted at Amy and Dylan, checking to see they had runners on, and long sleeves. She slung the strap of the duffle bag with the bottles of water and bits of food over her shoulder. "Let's go."

They started walking, Tessa shortening her longer strides so they didn't have to run, despite their sense of urgency, and she handed out granola bars and water. They ate as they walked, the sun beating down. In the car, the desert had looked beautiful. Now, it looked like a never ending plane of nothingness, and the building didn't look like it was getting any closer.

Something on the horizon caught her attention; a rising cloud of…something. But clouds didn't make that kind of spiked shape. And she'd never seen one move towards them so fast. Tessa stopped walking, frowning at it as it grew bigger, blotting out the sky. Then she heard it; a buzzing.

Clouds didn't fucking buzz.

"What is it?" Dylan asked.

"I don't – " a bug buzzed past her ear. Then another, then another. It was a freaking swarm of bugs, and it was getting thicker.

Amy screamed, swatting at them, before covering her head with her hands and ducking down. Dylan followed her and Tessa dropped down, covering them, her back to the oncoming swarm. The buzzing was louder, irritating their ears, and Tessa hoped none would fly into her ears. She squeezed her eyes shut, trying not to be grossed out as she felt them graze over her exposed skin, hoping it'd end eventually.

_Just bugs, it was just bugs,_ she told herself. She'd take the bugs over the not-human things with black eyes and sharp teeth any day.

They waited it out, before slowly straightening. Tessa picked lone bugs out of Amy's hair as the younger girl squirmed uncomfortably. Amy hated bugs of any kind, even the tiny little ones, and she freaked out when they came near her. "That's was weird."

Tessa looked back, and saw nothing else coming towards them. "Come on."

She didn't know how long they walked for after that.

As they approached, Tessa seriously wondered if it was even open. There was a sign saying 'Diner', so she guessed it would be. And there were cars out the front. Then she saw the sign 'Paradise Falls'.

She looked at the grimy building, the thick layers of grease and dust, the broken signs, rusted metal and generally run down appearance. She really hoped this place didn't set the standard for paradise.

Then she started having second thoughts. What if it was open, and it was filled with those people who wanted to kill them? And she'd led her siblings right to them. She stopped, and they glanced up at her, confused. They should go back. But then there was that pesky problem of having no petrol. Maybe she could find a gas container and take some back out there. They wouldn't even have to go in.

But then people piled out, an older man, with a scruffy beard, a younger man with grease marks on his hands and arms, and an attractive black man. They froze, but didn't see any black eyes.

Then the older man held up the freaking gun he was holding, pointing it right at them.

In one movement, Tessa stepped in front of Amy and Dylan and pulled her gun, pointing it at him, "Woah, there."

In retaliation, the black guy pulled out a handgun as well, pointing it at her.

They stared at each other in a tense silence.

Tessa breathed deeply and opened her mouth to say something, but the older guy cut her off, "Why don't you show us them teeth?"

Tessa gaped at them, "You know?" They were out here in the freaking middle of nowhere, and they knew about the pointed teeth and black eyes. She didn't lower her gun though.

"Your teeth!" he shouted.

"You first!" He showed her his teeth, before gesturing with his gun for her to do the same. She showed him her teeth, "Now why don't you point that gun at something you intend to shoot?"

He lowered his gun, "I'm Bob, that's my son Jeep, and that's Kyle. Sorry, but you wouldn't believe - ,"

"You'd be surprised," She half laughed, lowering her gun as well, shoving it back into her pants.

"You know what's going on?" Jeep asked, his accent thicker than his dad's.

"I have no fucking clue, but there're people, or not-people with black eyes and pointed teeth everywhere. They're taking over. I guess you've figured that out though," She said. She nodded at the gas pumps, "Those work?"

Before anyone could answer, Kyle said, "Someone's coming," pointing out onto the horizon. Tessa looked where he was pointing. A police car was barreling down the straight, seemingly endless road.

"Alright," Bob said. "Now we're talking."

"Wait a second; LAPD?" Jeep asked incredulously.

"I'm from Vegas, man," Kyle said, shrugging.

It headed for their direction, fishtailing, as it pulled up, and Tessa pushed Amy and Dylan back behind her as a heavily pregnant woman ran out of the diner, holding her swollen belly. She had a natural sort of beauty; she was stunning, with curled brown hair and lightly, naturally tanned skin a golden brown.

The driver's door opened, and Jeep ran to stop the pregnant woman, "Charlie, wait!"

A man got out of the car, and it quickly became apparent that he was no cop. He had dark pants and a grey over coat on that came down to his knees. No cop uniform, no badge. His hair was cropped close to his head, a dark shade of brown, and on the sides of his neck, Tessa could see what looked like tattoo markings inked on his skin. The lines on his face made him appear wary and battle-hardened.

But he had the brightest blue eyes Tessa'd ever seen on another person; they cut right through her when they landed on her, taking her in; her wildly curling chestnut coloured hair that came halfway down her back, the same colour as her almond shaped eyes that were narrowed at the newcomer in suspicion. The purple bags under her eyes, the way she shielded two younger children behind her back. He took it all in quickly before moving onto to the pregnant woman, seeming to ignore the other men.

Bob raised his shotgun, leveling it at the not-cop. "Lemme see your teeth," he said, in the same way he did to Tessa.

"Is this how you greet all your customers?" the man replied with a faint British lilt. Bob made no reply, just glared at him until the man lifted his lips in a grimace. He did it calmly, like Bob's request was a mere inconvenience rather than some bizarre request from a stranger.

When Tessa didn't see pointed teeth, she relaxed slightly.

"No shark teeth, pop," Jeep said and Bob nodded once, lowering his gun.

"What's your name?"

"Michael," the newcomer replied.

"Sorry about that, Michael, we just had this old lady go crazy in my place. Had these teeth, like nothing I've ever seen. You sure don't look like a cop, not even one from LA, but you must be right? Who'd be crazy enough to steal a cop car?"

Michael just looked at him. He looked way too damn calm, like he had a single purpose in mind and he knew what he was doing. It sent a shiver up Tessa's spine.

"You don't know, do you?" He said.

"We don't know what?" Kyle asked.

"We don't know anything, I mean, nothing works, the TV, the radio, the phone," the pregnant woman, Charlie, offered.

"I'm running out of time," Michael said, walking forwards.

In a split second, Bob brought the gun back up, his eyes wary and guarded. Tessa tensed again.

"You just hold on there, fella. You better start talking or just get the hell outta here," Bob said, the gun close to Michael's chest.

But then Michael grabbed the gun, bringing it around and pointing it at Bob, pressing the cool metal barrel against his forehead.

"Hold on," Kyle said, leveling his handgun at Michael as Charlie gasped.

"Hey!" Tessa shouted, grabbing her gun again and pointing. Her hands were steady. "You better give him his damn gun back."

This guy was a threat now that he had a weapon, and it put Tessa on edge, especially seeing as Amy and Dylan were out in the open, perfect little targets if the psycho wanted some practice.

"Hey dad, just tell 'im you're sorry!" Jeep shouted, panicked. Bob froze, squeezing his eyes shut. Dylan and Amy pressed against Tessa's back, griping her shirt, their heartbeat's rising in fear. Tessa hated that in less than ten hours, they'd had to go through way too much that a seven and ten year old should have to. Ever.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey sir," another man walked out of the diner, his skin not as dark as Kyle's, holding a hand up at Michael in what Tessa assumed was supposed to be a calming gesture. Tessa's eyebrows shot up when she noticed his other hand was missing, and instead he had a hook. "Son, now I'm sure you don't wanna go spilling blood for no good reason, in front of all these decent people. Now, what'd'ya say, just lettin' Bob go, then you can be on your way, nice and easy."

Nobody moved, nobody dared to. Michael didn't move the shotgun from his forehead, and Tessa could see in his face that he had no qualms about pulling the trigger. Her fingers shook slightly, as she stared at the lunatic with the weapon. She had to get it away from him; he could do too much damage with it, and if he held no reservations about shooting Bob in the head in front of so many witnesses, Tessa worried about his thoughts on shooting kids. Michael let go of the barrel, holding it at arm's length as he turned and looked into the distance. "They're here."

That was their chance, but no one was willing to risk it, not Kyle or Jeep who were closer to them than Tessa was.

"God damn it!" Tessa muttered harshly when no one moved, and she jumped forward, pushing the gun up and away from Bob's head as she tackled Michael to the ground, landing on his chest. She straddled him, her knees pressing his upper arms into the dirt, the shotgun flying from his hand. She cocked her gun, pointing it at his skull, snarling viciously, "Who the fuck do you think you are, pointing a loaded gun at a man's head an' threatening him in front of a pregnant woman an' some kids? Huh?"

"You're wasting time," he said calmly back, but Tessa could hear how he was straining to hold back irritation or anger. Maybe both.

"See now, you show up, threatening people with death and sprouting cryptic little messages, and you wonder why we aren't all jumping to do your bidding?" Tessa snapped, irritated. "All I want is some damn petrol so we can get the fuck away from here."

"You're staying here," Michael replied, his voice firm.

Tessa frowned, "You're not in any position to be telling me what to do."

As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she was suddenly thrown off him easily as he rolled them over so he was on top, so quickly and efficiently that Tessa didn't have time to react, or to even pull the trigger. When her back slammed into the dirt, she cursed herself. His taunt, powerful body leaned over her much smaller frame and she flinched in surprise at the realization that he was much bigger than her. One knee was pressed between her legs, the other beside her hip and one of his hands braced his weight beside her head, the other held her wrist against the dirt so the gun was pointed away, off into the distance. He made no move to pry it from her clamped fingers. "Listen," he said lowly, his face close to hers, "If you don't want to die, you'd be wise to do what I say."

He'd flipped them so easily, and Tessa realized he'd let her sit on him instead of immediately pushing her off. She glared at his freaking _piercing_ blue eyes; she'd always scoffed a little when she read about 'piercing' eyes in romance novels, it just seemed so ridiculous. How could eyes possibly pierce someone? Now she got it; they roved over her face, and took her in, completely, missing nothing, like they were cutting away at all the unimportant stuff she used as a wall between her and the rest of the world; the chip on her shoulder, the burning anger at her parents, the desperation for money. All of it, he wiped clean with one swoop of his eyes, throwing it away, until she felt scarily exposed and totally vulnerable before him.

His hand was warm on her wrist, too warm, like boiling, liquid gold, tingling her skin and sending sparks across her body, heating her blood. Her ears filled with the rhythmic beat that matched the thump-thump of her heartbeat, and his scent invaded her nostrils. It was a unique smell; like the sweet, dark, earthy fragrance of patchouli mixed with the spicy, citrus-like fragrance of bergamot mixed with the deep, woody fragrance of sandalwood. It was crazy good; sexy without being aggressive, warm without being overwhelming, and Tessa had to stop the impulse to take a deep breath in through her nose.

A rush of air ran over her body as in less than a second he was off her. She shook her clouded head, irritated. He picked up the shotgun, and Tessa glared at the others incredulously; really? No one thought to grab the gun while she had him pinned?

But Michael slammed the gun into Bob's stomach, "You're going to need this." Before heading to the back of the police car. Tessa pulled herself up, and Amy and Dylan grabbed her. Dylan was crying, shaking uncontrollably, and Amy's eyes were wet, her eyelashes sticking together. She stroked Dylan's curling hair soothingly as he buried his face into her stomach, and squeezed Amy's hand reassuringly.

"Wait," Charlie said, "Who's coming?"

"More like her."

"Who's her?" Tessa asked, frowning.

"What do you mean, like her?" Bob asked apprehensively.

"Who's her?" Tessa repeated.

"Crazy bitch that attacked us," Kyle answered her. "Black eyes, pointed teeth. I think you know what I'm saying."

"More're coming here?" she asked, her voice edged with panic. "Then we need to fucking leave!"

"It's too late," Michael said calmly, and Tessa's heart clenched. She bit her lip, looking at Amy and Dylan, her brother and sister, her kids, and her eyebrows knitted together in worry. She'd brought them here, into this mess in her attempt to save them. Some fucking guardian she was.

Then Michael popped the trunk to reveal a small arsenal of weapons. Tessa wasn't a gun nut, but she knew an assault riffle when she saw one; Michael pushed one into Kyle and the other guy's hands each, before giving one to Jeep.

"Now hold on, I don't think that's such a good idea," Bob said, eyeing the gun in Jeep's hands.

"Dad, I can handle it," Jeep said.

"He can handle it," Michael said, going back to the boot. "He doesn't have a choice."

Then he pulled another, similar riffle out, handing it to Tessa. "Can you handle that?" His voice told her he wasn't so sure.

The gun was heavy in Tessa's hands, but she scrunched her nose at the insinuation, "Watch me."

Michael looked at her a second and Tessa tensed. She wasn't sure she liked this Michael guy.

Then he went back to the boot and pulled out some duffle bags, probably loaded with ammunition, before closing it and walking towards the diner, stopping at Charlie and passing her a glock. "Don't do anything brave."

Two other women stumbled out; a previously pristine, but now disheveled older woman with brown hair falling out of her French bun, her carefully applied makeup smeared, and a teenager, wearing black, revealing clothing that left little to the imagination and screamed 'rebellious teenager'. The younger girl was stunning in her own right, with a slender frame, taller and more willowy than Tessa. Tessa was petite, but curved in the right places; she had to be, to be popular in the work she did. Or used to do.

The older woman and the teenager both had identical expressions of absolute fucking terror written all over their faces.

"What's going on?" the older woman asked. Tessa figured she was the teenager's mother.

Michael didn't even look at them, "You'd better get back inside."

Reluctantly, Tessa followed him, shoving the handgun back to its spot in her shorts, picking up her duffle bag and gesturing for Amy and Dylan to follow her in. They didn't have much of a choice now.

The sun was getting low.

**Hey guys,**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Would you mind letting me know what you thought?**

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**I'll be putting replies to reviews at the end of the chapter, so here we go:**

**Watergoddesskasey: **Thanks so much for being my first reviewer! It means so much to me! And I'm super glad you enjoyed the first chapter! Hopefully you enjoyed this one too! :D

**The Rise Of Me: **Haha, hey! Thanks for reviewing this story! I'm glad you developed such an interest in just the first chapter! I hope you enjoyed this one too! Aw, that's sweet of you! No, Ziggy isn't his real name, haha, it's Matt Zegers, and yeah, they did have a thing when she first started out. Good sense :D

**Grace: **Thank you so much! I'm glad you liked the first chapter and think it's got potential! I hope you enjoyed this chapter too! And I'm glad you think she's believable – that's what I was aiming for, after all! Thanks again!


	3. The First Test Or, Shit Hitting the Fan

_Chapter Three: The First Test. Or, Shit Hitting the Fan._

Inside the diner, it was relatively clean, not at all like it's outside appearance. Except for the knocked over chairs and tables, puddles and smears of blood on the floor and walls, and the man convulsing slightly on the ground, bloody material pressed against the side of his neck.

"What the fuck!" Tessa shouted, eyes on the man. "Don't look!" she shouted at Amy and Dylan, but it was too late and they were staring wide-eyed at the man, shouting.

"What's wrong with him?" Dylan asked.

"Oh my God!" Amy screamed, turning away and pressing her face into Tessa's side.

"What's going on?" Tessa shouted as the others piled back into the diner.

"That's Howard, my husband, he-he-," the older woman began, unable to finish as she dropped down beside him, her already red rimmed eyes spilling over with tears.

"Crazy bitch took a chunk out of his neck," Kyle told her.

"We need to barricade the doors. Block every entrance," Michael said. Bob started moving tables, turning them on their sides and pushing them against the doors. Others helped.

Tessa took in the soaked red material, the pools of blood, "That's a lot of blood. Why isn't he at a hospital?"

"The – I –bugs," Howards wife tried to explain between sobs, so Tessa didn't push her. Clearly, there was a reason.

"I…" Tessa began, "Do you want me to take a look?"

Tessa kept her head in a crisis, and she swallowed around the lump in her throat. She could keep calm through one of Dylan's temper tantrums, she could stop herself from snapping at their teachers who seemed to think she couldn't handle being their guardian, and she could handle the apparent coming apocalypse. It was because she could prioritize. She could put Amy and Dylan's safety before her own freak outs.

"You a doctor?" the teenager asked hopefully and Tessa hated to shake her head, "A nurse?"

"No." She was far from it. She had taken a first aid course though.

"Then how…?"

"I went camping one time," she said, dropping the duffle bag and setting down the riffle, going over to Howard. "I stitched my friend's leg up after she sliced it open with a metal tent pole that snapped. We were a long way from a hospital," she explained, "So I know _how_, I'm just looking to see if I _can_."

Gently, she pried the material away from his neck, trying not to make a face at the way it stuck and the red now covering her fingers. When she got a look at it, she nearly gagged, but managed to keep her face neutral. You learned how to do that when at nineteen you suddenly become a full-time mother, part-time cook, cleaner, doctor, mediator, chauffer, and anything else they needed.

It was a big gaping wound, obscured by copious amounts of blood spewing out. She looked up at Howard's wife, her pleading expression. "I can't…too much tissue's been ripped out. He needs medical attention," I said seriously, and her wet eyes closed in helplessness.

"No one's leaving," Michael said.

Tessa glared, "He'll die if he doesn't get help!"

"You leave and you'll die anyway," he said.

"The hospital's over an hour away," Bob said solemnly, "And how many doctors and nurses you think'll still be normal?"

Tessa looked back down at the man. He'd lost too much blood. It was a wonder he was still alive. His skin was cold, and Tessa thought he might be going into shock. He'd already passed out. She grabbed his wrist, searching for his pulse; it was slow. His blood pressure was low. Gently, she pressed the back of her hand against his forehead, "He's too cold; he's in danger of hypothermia. We need blankets or jackets or something."

"There's some in the trailer," Jeep offered and she nodded gratefully.

Michael sighed like I was getting on his nerves. Like trying to save Howard's life was putting him out.

"Hurry," he warned, and Jeep bolted out the door, the teenager right behind him. A couple minutes later, they came back with a pile of blankets and two thin foam mattresses. The teenager spread one of the mattresses out beside Howard.

"On three," Tessa said, gripping the unconscious man's arms. The girl grabbed a leg and Jeep grabbed the other. "One. Two. Three." They heaved slightly, lifting him up and placing him down gently. Tessa grabbed a blanket, wrapping it firmly around Howard's body before grabbing a thin, plain white sheet. Using her teeth, she ripped it in the corner, before tearing it apart, into strips. She removed the blood soaked shirt from his neck, replacing it with the strips, wrapping them around him.

The teenager sat next to Howard's head on the other side of him to Tessa, brushing his hair off his forehead lightly.

"My name's Audrey," the teenager whispered as Tessa grabbed Howard's wrist again to find his pulse. She would monitor it so it didn't drop too low. Though, if it did, there was jack shit they could do about it. The movement hadn't caused it to drop at least, though it was frighteningly unsteady. "That's my mum, Sandra."

Tessa glanced at the near-hysterical woman, the slight shakes running through her body, and nodded at her once. "Tessa. That's Amy and Dylan."

"They your kids?"

"Brother and sister."

Audrey leaned back, blinking her eyes at the ceiling, "This is so fucked up."

"You're preaching to the choir, sister." Tessa got up, walking back to Amy and Dylan. "That's not going to happen to you. I won't let it," She said when she saw how fixated they were on Howard.

"I want to go home," Dylan said, his big brown eyes welling up with tears, spilling down his face, his voice a pleading warble, "I want my room!"

"We can't go back," Tessa said, her mouth hardening into a straight line.

"I want my stuff!"

"You can't -,"

"I want my blankets, my toys!"

"Dylan!"

"I want mum and dad!" He shouted.

It was like a slap in the face to Tessa. She'd tried so hard to be their mum and dad, but she couldn't measure up to them; couldn't give them the same things, the same toys, a nice place to live. His words just confirmed her suspicions that she was doing a piss-poor job at being their guardian.

"They're gone," she said stiffly. "And they're not coming back."

"Dylan," Amy said soothingly, grabbing his hand and holding tight. "We'll see them soon."

Her words sent a chill down Tessa's back, and she dropped down on her knees so she was roughly their height, looking them in the eye, "Both of you listen to me right now. There's something bad coming and I need you to be strong. I need you to do what I say. Nothing's going to happen to you. You hear me? _Nothing_."

"We're all going to die," Sandra said hopelessly, hysterically, "They may as well deal with it now."

"Mum!"

"Shut up," Tessa said warningly. Dylan started to shake.

"It's the truth!" She cried.

"_Shut up_." The words were a threat this time.

"You can't go saying that to some kids," The man whose name I didn't know said.

"But -,"

"Look Lady," Tessa cut her off. "I don't have time to deal with you. So if you don't shut the fuck up, I'll go find some duct tape and make you shut up, got it? Get your shit together. Stop wallowing and just deal; this is happening."

She didn't reply, just looked down at her husband, crying. More things were coming for them, and Tessa didn't have the patience to be gentle or careful with the woman. She needed to pull herself together and get a grip on reality, because this was happening, and they didn't need any weak links in this diner. Weak links could be exploited

"Thanks…?" She said to the guy, for helping her with Sandra.

"Percy," he supplied. "You're welcome."

"I'm Tessa, that's Amy and Dylan."

He smiled gently at them, "Hey there, guys. You hungry?"

Tentatively, they nodded, and Percy gestured for them to come into the kitchen so he could get them something. Tessa thanked him again as he led Amy and Dylan back.

Tessa started moving some of the tables as well, but they were heavy. Which was a good thing, considering they'd have to hold out against whatever wanted to get in. Michael grabbed the other end, pushing it with her, before setting his duffle bags down on the counter, prepping his riffles.

They made a line in front of the booths, standing ready with their weapons, waiting. They closed the blinds, and the sun was sinking lower, the diner getting darker. Tessa shivered.

Then the lights went out. Dylan and Amy screamed, grabbing onto Tessa, who gasped, bringing the gun up. Her heart was thundering so fast in her chest, she thought it was going to leap right out, and her fingers were nervous and cramping from her tight grip.

"Everybody stay calm," Percy's voice. She heard movement, and then there were streams of light around, shining in her face and other's as they got some flashlights. Bob shone it in Michael's face.

"Okay, we locked in here so what the fuck we doing now?" Kyle asked harshly.

Michael looked up, "The roof." Tessa looked up apprehensively.

"What about it?" Bob asked.

"We need to go up there." The duh was implied.

Bob led the way, and Kyle, Michael and Percy followed. After a moment's hesitation, Tessa followed as well, telling her kids to stay put, she'd only be a second.

"No!" Amy said. They'd been glued to her side, so she either had to stay there, or they had to come with her. And she wasn't going to take them up to the roof. "I don't want to be alone!"

"I'll stay with them," Audrey offered, her voice raspy. Tessa looked at her, sizing her up. She was handling this situation better than her mother, and she was younger. Tessa nodded.

"Thank you." It wouldn't be for long.

Night had completely fallen now, and the air was cold. Tessa forgot how it was scorching during the day and freezing during the night in the desert. Goosebumps raised over her arms, and she rubbed at the exposed skin, mentally scolding herself for not bringing a jumper. At least it was warmer in the diner.

"Alright, Rambo, you got us up here, now what are we doing?" Bob asked.

Tessa walked to the edge of the roof, looking out into the distance. It was barren, empty, but it shocked her how beautiful it still looked. It felt wrong that it could be so beautiful when the world was so close to breaking. A tinkling tune started up, and Percy gestured slightly, "Listen, listen! You hear what I'm hearing?"

Tessa frowned as she recognized the tune; it was a sound she knew from her childhood, it was a sound every kid knew. And now, it sent shivers down her spine as what felt like tiny, razor sharp ice shards stabbed all over her skin, and it wasn't from the cold. "Oh, fuck no."

"What the hell is that?" Bob asked.

"Sounds almost like…" Percy trailed off.

"Ice Cream," Kyle finished. "You can't be fucking serious, right?"

The fucking ice cream truck jingle. Tessa was beginning to feel like she was stuck in a freaking horror movie. A fierce shiver raked over her body, and she clamped her mouth shut to stop her teeth from chattering. The wind kicked up, making her hair dance wildly around her face.

Michael pulled off his over coat, then the zipper jumper he wore over a navy fitted shirt and leather vest that held his weapons, handing the jumper to Tessa without even looking at her, his eyes stuck on the horizon where headlights were growing brighter. Tessa frowned, "I'm fine."

Then Michael did look at her. "If you catch a cold, your senses will dull and your reflexes will slow. You're no use to anyone sick."

"Gee, thanks for the concern."

"You're no use to those kids if you're so sick you can't protect them properly," he pointed out.

Tessa grumbled, taking it from him, hating that he made a valid point. She almost sighed at how warm it was from him, zipping it all the way up. It was too big on her, but she pushed the sleeves up so they weren't in the way. She could deal with it.

"Alright, there's a safety switch on the side of your weapon; you won't be needing it. Push it all the way down two clicks," Michael said. Tessa squinted in the dark, finding the switch and doing as he said. "Now when it starts, you hold on tight, otherwise you're going to blow you hand off."

She couldn't help it, she turned to look at Percy, wondering if that was how he'd lost his hand. It was a plausible explanation; she saw his dog tags hanging around his neck. He'd served in the military.

"What the fuck y'all looking at me for?" He snapped, and Tessa snorted, turning it into a cough and looking away. She brought the gun up, holding it level. She'd never actually fired a gun before, certainly not one this freaking big. It weighed her down, heavy in her arms and she wasn't sure how long she'd be able to hold it up for.

The ice cream truck came into view properly now, driving right up to the diner, headlights blazing. Tessa took deep breaths.

A strangely tall, gangly man emerged from driver's side, stepping down. His face was blank. He started sniffing at the air.

"Oh, man, he don't look that bad," Kyle said. The ice cream man's head snapped up to look at him, his neck cracking. "Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!" His mouth extended down and he let loose a hoarse roar, like a wild animal sounded like. "_Oh shit_!"

"Oh my God," Tessa whispered. His arms and legs extended, growing, and dropped down like a freaking four legged spider.

Michael started shooting, the rapid fire of his riffle bright in the darkness, each bullet released a loud crack next to her ear. Bob joined in, firing the shotgun.

The ice cream man landed on his back, bloody bullet holes in his chest. He twitched, then stopped moving.

"Is that it?" Kyle asked incredulously.

More lights appeared on the horizon, getting closers. Cars. Lots of them. Tessa reached over, punching Kyle in the arm, "You speak too fucking soon. Just shut up."

The number of swear words she used per day had substantially increased.

More cars kept coming. Lots, too many. Tessa closed her eyes, fear making her fingers bloodless and twitchy, "Oh my God."

"No! Shoot them!" Michael shouted.

Tessa didn't need to be told twice. She pulled the trigger, and it was like the gun had a life of its own, vibrating in her hands. It kicked back into her shoulder, ramming hard and jerking her back a step with each bullet. She was too small, her frame too slender, her skin too soft. And she used to think those were good things. Now she wished she was bigger, stronger, tougher. She aimed at the cars, hoping she was hitting them, but really she was just aiming blindly; she couldn't hold the gun still enough to control it and aim properly. Some cars swerved out of control. Bullet casings rained down on her feet. One car flipped, exploding.

Beside her, Michael moved to the other end of the roof, and she looked over. "Fuck!" More cars were coming in the opposite direction. He set the missile launcher up, aiming it at the oncoming truck and cars, which exploded, before picking up his riffle and shooting again. Tessa moved to help him, pulling down on the trigger. Dust fanned up, making it hard to see the cars properly.

The cars parked along the road, and the people started getting out, walking eerily calmly towards them. She spotted a little girl, younger than Dylan, in a pretty dress and holding a balloon, walking towards them. She was just a kid. Tessa faltered. She was just like Dylan and Amy. Michael lifted his gun and started firing again.

"They're just regular people!" Kyle shouted.

"Not anymore!" Michael replied, not pausing. "Keep firing!"

Tessa pushed away the sick feeling in her gut, trying to ignore Kyle's words. She couldn't afford to stop, or give up. Michael was right. They weren't people anymore. They were trying to kill them. Tessa pulled down on the trigger, but she wouldn't aim at the little girl. Someone else was going to have to do that. They were getting too close, and there was too many of them to shoot.

"Don't let them get near the windows!" Michael shouted.

If they got to the windows, they'd be able to get inside.

Inside.

To where Dylan and Amy were. She aimed right down, at the ones closest to the building, panic flaring in her chest.

When she heard a window crash, she pulled back. She had to go downstairs, she had to protect Amy and Dylan.

"Hey!" Kyle called as Tessa took off back down, heart in her throat. Michael grabbed her arm, spinning her back around to face him.

"Let go!" Tessa shouted desperately, trying to squirm out of his tight grip. "Fucking let go!"

"You need to stay up here!" he said forcefully.

"No, I need to be down there! Let go, or I'll blow your goddamn head off," she screamed, leveling the rifle at his head so he knew she wasn't kidding, wasn't messing around. He looked at her, the desperation in her eyes, and let her go. She hurried back to the ladder leading down.

_Oh, please, God, if you just let them be alright, please, I'll do anything! _She thought fiercely. It wasn't a prayer, it was a plea. When she burst downstairs, it was chaotic. There was a shattered window, and Howard was being pulled through it. Audrey and her mother were trying to pull her back in and Charlie ran over to help, Jeep following. Tessa moved forward to help until she spotted Amy and Dylan cowering in the corner, holding onto each other and crying.

And the shadow of a man moving towards them, so close, too close to shoot if she didn't want to hit them accidentally; she was no marksman. She wasn't that good a shot. Tessa dived on him, getting the jump on him, but he shucked her off, throwing her across the room, her riffle flying from her hands. She slammed into a booth, the wooden corner of the chair digging into her back, jarring her teeth. She'd be bruised for sure, but she barely registered the pain. In a second she was back up, charging for him, this time grabbing his legs and pulling him down, sliding slightly. She reached for her gun in her waistband, brought it around and shot him in the head.

"Are you okay?" she screamed at them over the gunfire and screaming and shouting. They didn't answer her, just held onto each other tighter.

Charlie screamed and Tessa whirled around to see a man trying to pull her through the window. Tessa grabbed her arm, throwing her weight back next to Jeep as he tried to hold onto her. Tessa leveled her gun at him and was about to pull the trigger when Michael was there, a knife in hand as he cut off the man's hand.

They flew backwards with their momentum, Charlie landing on her and Jeep as Howard was pulled out the window. Michael fired at the windows, smashing the unbroken ones and hopefully killing anything else trying to get in. Then it was quiet. Gunfire on the roof ceased, and nothing else tried to get in.

"We got 'em running! We got 'em running!" Tessa could hear Kyle shout on the roof.

Sandra started to move towards the broken window and Michael grabbed her, lifting her up and moving her away, "No, no, no, he's out there! He's alive, he's out there!" She cried and it broke Tessa's heart, how raw it sounded, desperate. Hopeless. "He's out there!"

"He's gone," Michael told her, looking her in the eye. "He's gone."

Slowly, she collapsed onto a booth seat, tears running down her cheeks.

Charlie started to get up, panting and making pained noises, holding her stomach. Jeep grabbed one arm to help, and Tessa grabbed the other. "You okay?" Jeep asked her softly.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," she replied, but she sounded far from it. She looked to Michael, "Thanks."

His head cocked to the side slightly, "I told you not to do anything brave."

Tessa rolled her eyes and turned back towards Amy and Dylan.

And stopped dead. Because they weren't crying anymore.

They were smiling.

**Dun dun dun!**

**Hey guys,**

**I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I enjoyed writing it. Though, not the end part.**

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**Review replies;**

**Haphazard Suy:** First off, thanks so much for taking the time to review!I'm definitely glad you decided to give it a try :P Thank you so much, I'm glad you think my writing style is pleasant and that my story is timed perfectly. Yay! I'm super glad you like my character Tessa (I like her too, haha), and I'm relieved you think she's likable and authentic. She's different to the characters I usually write, and older too, so she's kind of unfamiliar territory and I'm never sure if I get her right, so thank you so much for letting me know and making me feel better about that. :D Oh, me too! I love reading about scent and the eyes, so naturally I like writing it too. Particularly, I like researching the different types of smells, and what kind of fragrance they are, and what smells are considered attractive to the opposite sex and what not. Anyway, thanks so much for reviewing – it means the world to me! I hope you enjoyed this chapter too.

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	4. The truth Or, a shit sandwich

_Chapter Four: The truth. Or, a shit sandwich without the bread._

"No," Tessa whispered, shaking her head in disbelief. Like she hoped what she was seeing was just the result of being thrown around the room. She really hoped it was.

Except it wasn't. It was fucking happening and it was fucking reality.

Tessa felt like someone had punched her in the chest, their hand going right through and grabbing her heart, squeezing too tight and twisting like they wanted to rip it out. She couldn't breathe, she was choking on air. Couldn't even move.

Amy and Dylan stood in the corner of the room, smiling. Showing pointed teeth. They looked around the room with black eyes. This couldn't be happening.

No. No, no, _no!_ This couldn't be happening, not to them, not to sweet Amy, not to her little Dylan. But they weren't Amy and Dylan anymore. They were something else. They weren't human. But, God, they were them. They looked exactly like Amy and Dylan, who were there just seconds ago. It was them.

They looked at Charlie, "We want to play with your baby," they said in unison, but it wasn't their own voices. It was eerie, the cold, threatening, deep voices that issued from their small, child mouths. And so fucking scary.

"Dylan…Amy," Tessa whispered, pleaded. Michael lifted his gun and Tessa jerked forward, planting herself in front of the barrel, "No! Don't!"

"They're not them anymore!"

Tessa ignored him, taking a step forward, towards them, lifting her hands in an I-mean-no-harm gesture, like she was approaching a wounded animal she didn't want to frighten. They watched her, and she took another step. "They could still be in there. They have to be in there!"

Her back blocked Michael's line of sight purposefully. She knew without question that if he had the chance, he'd kill them. Tessa couldn't let that happen. There had to be a way for them to become themselves again. She didn't even understand why they changed _now_, of all times. The other man had been headed for them. Was it contagious, then? Did they contract it from him before Tessa shot him?

Tessa shoved the thoughts away; she had to concentrate on the here and now. Even if she'd much rather think about the past.

She took another step and their grins widened, showing their teeth, like she'd stepped right into their trap. Dylan jumped on her, and they fell to the ground just as Michael shot Amy in the head. Tessa let out an anguished scream at the sight of Amy, unmoving, and the way Dylan had attacked her. Dylan's small hand grabbed the switch blade from her pocket before jumping off her and running at Charlie. Michael leveled his gun at him, and Tessa jumped up, pushing the gun skyward as he pressed the trigger, shooting the roof.

"Don't! I'll fucking kill you if you shoot him too!" She snarled at Michael dangerously, close to his face. Michael's face flashed with momentary surprise before shutting down, sweeping his arm down and slamming into her side, throwing her out of his way. He aimed, but Tessa rammed her shoulder into his and he stumbled, losing the shot.

Tessa ran forward, grabbing a hold of Dylan's shirt and dragging him back from where he was attacking Charlie, her and Jeep staving off his attacks. Dylan spun in her grip and plunged the small blade into her shoulder. Tessa screamed, flinging him away from Charlie as white hot pressure exploded around where the blade protruded from her. Luckily it was only pressed in less than an inch.

"Bitch!" Dylan hissed, as Tessa gritted her teeth, her face contorting as she reached up and pulled the blade out of her shoulder, blood dripping down and staining her shirt. She dropped the blade to the ground, her hands shaking at the pain as she gripped her wounded shoulder, staring at him like she had no idea what to do. "You couldn't protect them!" Dylan, or not-Dylan, grinned, like he found it amusing as he gestured to Amy's body, and his own. "They wished it had been you that died instead of your parents!"

The breath left her in a whoosh of air, and her eyes moistened. Tremors ran along her arms, spreading to her body, and her shoulder throbbed like it was on fire.

He stalked towards her slowly, "Your parents never loved you. They used you. You were pathetic as a guardian," he stalked closer, his soft mouth curled into a harsh snarl. Tessa picked up her handgun, lifting it and pointing. Tears slid down her cheeks. "You were a _slut_, undressing in front of men for money," her finger hovered over the trigger, her hand shaking. She couldn't press it, she couldn't do it. She could save him. She _had_ to save him. that was her Dylan. "You were _cheap_, dancing around a pole, you were - ," She squeezed her eyes shut and a crack sounded around the diner as a bullet was released. Her eyes snapped open, glancing at her hand. She hadn't pulled the trigger. Her eyes landed on Dylan's small body, crumpled on the ground close to Amy's.

She spun around, her body shaking, her face wet, her eyes wide and saw Michael lower his gun. "No!" she whispered. "No!" she shouted, getting louder, finding her voice. She lunged at Michael, her arms swinging out in wild arcs, even as the jolting movements sent stabs of pain through her shoulder and down her arm, "Why? Why did you do that? _Why_?"

She flailed blindly, and her fists connected with hard, unyielding flesh. "I could have saved them! Why did you do that?" she screamed at him, wanting to hurt him the way he had hurt her. His face remained stoic and unreadable, and he grabbed her upper arms, restricting her movements, making it impossible for her to keep hitting him.

"So you didn't have to."

She wrenched herself away, her hand covering her mouth as she broke down, her eyes leaking salty liquid. Tessa gasped, her face crumpling, her body convulsing as she lost feeling in her legs, her heart numb. She collapsed to the ground, but before she could hit it, Michael grabbed her again, his strong arms bringing her back up, pressed against his chest. For a moment, she fought him, slamming her palms into his chest. He didn't flinch, and when she realized nothing she did to him would affect him the way she was now, she stopped. No pain she could inflict on him would make him feel the way she did then, in that moment. Her heart couldn't break because it'd already been ripped out and torn to shreds that no amount of superglue could stick back together. Tessa choked on a sob before suddenly, like the dam broke, she couldn't stop crying, her face pressing into his shoulder. He didn't move, didn't do anything, just held on tight.

God, she'd failed them; she was supposed to protect them, Christ, she'd _promised_ nothing would happen to them. And now they were dead. Gone. And she was all alone in the world on the brink of destruction. The last things they'd seen were people screaming, people trying to kill them. Nothing good, nothing pleasant. Nothing but fear.

"I think I'm going to be sick," she whispered, but Michael didn't let go and she didn't throw up. She couldn't look at them, their bodies. She hurt. Her head, her back, her shoulder and her heart. _She_ hurt.

"The weakest are possessed first. They were just kids," Michael whispered close to her ear, but she wasn't listening, she couldn't hear him over the screaming in her head.

_I was going to shoot my own brother! _She screamed at herself, torturing herself with the images, the blame. _I couldn't save them!_

She pushed away from Michael then, and without his arms holding her up, she fell to the ground in a heap, but she dragged herself forward to Dylan's body, right next to Amy's. She cradled his head in her lap, brushing back his curls, before doing the same to Amy. Small droplets splashed on their faces.

"_No_," she moaned quietly, rocking back and forth, her voice raw. Her throat clenched. Her body shook, "_I'm so sorry,"_ she keened, a soft wail.

Then she was being gathered up into arms again, and she fought them, her arms flailing. They were her kids! Her damn kids, and she was going to sit there and stay there forever, with them!

Because their bodies were all she had left of them now. She'd never see them smile at her again, in the way that just made everything better, pushed away all her doubts and worries and made what she was doing worth it. She'd never hear them laugh, the infectious sound making her heart swell in contentedness, letting her know that the life they had, the way they were living wouldn't last forever because there was a light at the end of that tunnel that would lead them to something better. She'd never feel their small arms wrap around her, making her feel incredibly loved and needed. Never again.

She didn't think she'd be able to last for as long as _never_.

She was lifted up, and the fight left her.

"Move them away," Michael said, his words rumbling through his chest and onto her skin. She let herself be carried away from them, out of the main area and into the small office. She stared glumly at nothing. With one hand, he swept at the items on the desk, pushing them back to make a small space. He placed her on that spot, the desk pushed against the wall, her feet dangling and not reaching to the ground because she was too short.

Tattooed hands braced against the edge of the desk on either side of her, his face lowering down so he could lock his blue eyes on hers. "There was nothing you could have done," he said firmly, his voice soft and low. "_Nothing_."

Dead eyes looked back at him, and he wondered if she even heard him. Then she said, in a voice so devastatingly sad, "Then why do I feel so guilty?"

He looked at her intensely, earnestly, his blue eyes piercing hers, "It's not your fault."

She looked at him and he looked at her, neither saying anything. Then he left her sitting there, and her eyes drifted to stare blankly at a wall as he left the room, going back out to the others.

"Amy and Dylan are gone," she said it out loud, just to add salt to her wounds, rubbing it in. "_They're gone. _And it's my fault."

She breathed in deeply, and that bergamot, sandalwood and patchouli mix swamped her nose. It jolted through her and she glanced at the jumper of Michael's she was still wearing, frowning. There was a rip in the shoulder now and it was coloured red.

From where Dylan had stabbed her. Except…it hadn't been Dylan.

It hit her like a ton of bricks and she pushed herself off the desk. Yeah, she hurt, but Dylan and Amy were _dead_. At least she was _alive_. At least she could still _hurt_.

And fucking hurt, she did.

Here fate was, handing her a shit ticket that would either lead to fuckville or lifecity, and she had a choice to make. She could let this break her, she really could; it would be so easy, she'd just let the overwhelming depression and guilt take over and slide into it. It was the easy option. Like what Sandra was slipping into. Or she could man up, and push through, use that burning hate in her chest that made her want to scream 'fuck you' while giving the finger to the world, to her parents, to those _things_ that wanted to kill them all. It would be harder, tougher, and it was going to hurt for sure. But she was strong.

And she was nothing like Sandra.

She'd see Amy and Dylan again soon enough. But not today. Not now.

And she had to do this now, she had to pull herself together and fight the fuck back, or she was never going to come out alive. She was alive, for Christ sakes. Yes, she deserved to grieve for them. She deserved to mourn their loss, and cry and not talk to anyone ever again. And they deserved that from her. And they deserved it done right. Not now. She needed to keep herself alive long enough to mourn them properly.

She stumbled out of the office, clenching her jaw so she wouldn't cry anymore, though her eyes stung and were still moist. If she just held onto that pain, used it, maybe she'd be able to survive long enough to mourn them properly.

"I'll go," Percy was saying when she walked out. They looked at her, and Charlie tentatively reached out, wrapping her arms around Tessa's shoulders in a comforting gesture. Tessa let her. It was nice of her to try to be comforting. No one had done that for her in years. No one had tried to look after her. She pulled back from the hug, and Charlie left one arm around her shoulders, like she was cradling her. Tessa sniffed, swiped at a few errant, defiant tears that managed to escape, and crossed her arms over her chest.

Her eyes strayed for a moment to the spot where their bodies had laid minutes ago. They were gone, any traces gone, like it never happened. Her heart clenched, and she figured maybe it wasn't entirely destroyed; it hurt too much for it to be gone. She felt scarily empty.

"Hold on," Bob said, stopping Percy when he turned to leave after dropping his gaze away from her. Nobody liked to see a woman cry. Bob fixed his demanding eyes on Michael. "You better start talking."

Michael looked down a moment, then nodded, heading towards the kitchen where he'd set up all his weapons and ammunition. They followed him, gathering around and waiting as he switched on a gas-powered lamp. They didn't have power, but they still had the gas. Michael looked up from across the bench, in a suddenly brighter room where it was easier to see.

"The last time God lost faith in man," Michael said seriously, his eyes running over them. He looked so in control, ready for anything; his face held none of the fear and worry that everyone else's did, just purpose. "He sent a flood. This time he sent what you see outside."

"Are you saying this is the apocalypse?" Percy asked, a tremor in his voice.

"I'm saying this is an extermination. Those things outside are just vessels. They're possessed. The weakest willed are the easiest to turn," he said, his eyes resting on Tessa.

Her eyes closed for a second as the pain in her chest doubled. Charlie ran her hand up and down her arm, almost absentmindedly. "They were just kids," she whispered to herself. Of course they were easy to turn.

"Possessed by what?" Kyle asked. "Demons?"

"No," Michael said simply. "No. By angels."

"No, no, no, wait, no, hold on son," Percy said, holding up a hand, "I don't know what book you've been reading, but in my version, the angels are the _good_ guys."

"Well, the truth, I'm afraid, is never that simple."

Didn't Tessa know it.

"Horseshit!" Kyle called. "Now I'm not a pastor, but I never heard of no ice cream man or old lady eating raw meat, jumping on the ceiling with baby teeth, so I don't know what the _fuck_ you talkin' 'bout!"

"Hold on," Jeep said, raising the issue Tessa had been wondering. "How do you know so much about this?"

"Because until last night, I was on their side."

"So you're saying - ,"

Bob cut Jeep off, "Yeah, yeah, that's right, and yesterday I was fucking Santa Claus," he said sarcastically, making it clear he didn't believe a single word Michael said. "You know this is crazy, right? I mean, I don't even believe in God!"

"Well that's just fine Bob, he doesn't believe in you either," he said, refilling the guns with the bullets. "He doesn't believe in any of this anymore."

"I knew this day was coming, I just didn't think I'd be around to see it," Percy said, almost to himself.

"Oh come on Percy, what are we even talking about this for?" Bob shouted. "Angels and possessed people! It's not real! It's not-," he trailed off in disbelief, not even able to finish his sentence.

"Have you looked outside, Bob? I mean, those people aren't exactly our _regular customers_!" Percy snapped.

Tessa let loose a short, hysterical laugh that held no amusement or joy, "Yeah, and my kids attacking a woman with a pocket knife wasn't exactly a common occurrence either!"

"Wait," Audrey said, her voice raspy from crying, as she looked up at Michael, "So are you here to protect us?"

A pause. "No, not you. Her," he nodded towards Charlie.

Shock registered on her face, "Me? Why me?"

"Because your child is the only hope humanity has of surviving."

A shiver ran up Tessa's spine. "Are you saying - ," she started saying slowly, but Charlie started laughing like it was a joke.

She sobered up real quick when she realized he wasn't kidding. "Wait, wait, wait a minute, this can't be happening to me, I mean, I'm nobody, I'm just a waitress! I don't even own a car," she said, like a plea.

"None of that matters anymore. Either your child lives or mankind dies."

"Her kid…" Tessa began, "You're saying her kid's the next fucking messiah?"

"Yes."

"This is a load of crap!" She shouted, her voice edging up, "We need a messiah because God's sick of us, sick of our shit? You're saying that because we didn't turn out the way he wanted, he's just going to kill us? This is fucking bullshit."

"You all wallow in sin, you walk it, live it, _love_ it," he replied.

Tessa shook her head, stepping away from Charlie and towards Michael. She was having this argument with him, no one else, no one else mattered as she focused her gaze on him. Her hands formed fists, clenching tight to stop herself launching an attack at Michael.

Her kids died because of this. And she was going to fucking sort it out.

"No, no, _that's not good enough_. He's mad about that? Without hate, there'd be no love, without bad, there's no good. You can't have one without the other; He made it that way, if you want to believe that God's real! Then He gave us free will, to make our own choices! If He wanted us to be perfect, He shouldn't have fucking given us free will! A mother doesn't stop loving her child because they're bad, so no, it's not good enough!" She yelled heatedly, taking steps forward, closer to him until she was staring him down across the bench, the only thing separating them. Even then, she leaned forward closer. "_It's not good enough_!" She slammed her hands down onto the countertop, making the weapons jump slightly from the force she exuded. Her shoulder stung as the vibrations ran up her arms. "It's not good enough that Amy and Dylan died because _He's_ had enough."

"You humans excel at finding new ways to hurt each other. Over five thousand years He's watched you do exactly that," he said, devastatingly calm.

"Well you know what? While He was looking at all the bad, He was missing something pretty fucking important then, wasn't He?" She panted, crossing her arms. A wave of dizziness hit her, but she pushed it back. She was pretty sure she was beginning to lose feeling in her arm. Then again, it hurt too much to be numb just yet.

"And what's that?" He seemed genuinely curious.

"He missed the love. The compassion, the kindness, the _generosity_. He must have missed those people trying to make the world a better place, because there's a lot of them. He must have missed those times when a parent would give up their own life for their child, for their sister, brother, friend; the ultimate sacrifice. He must have missed those moments between lovers when all they _felt_, all they could _feel_, was an overwhelming, all-consuming, burning _love_ for the other, a barrier where nothing as horrible as violence and bloodshed could penetrate through, because in that moment, there was nothing else but them," Tessa said passionately. "He must have missed all the good things about being human."

Michael stared at her, his head tilted to the side as he contemplated her.

"He's judging the whole of our species by the actions of a few. He's blinded by His vision of what He wants us to be like; He's only seeing the bad. What about the good? Huh? What about the good?" She said, her voice going softer now that she'd gotten it out of her system, everything she needed to voice aloud. Which brought her back to her main point, "What did Amy and Dylan die for, then?"

No one said anything. Then Kyle spoke up.

"So are we supposed to hold those things off until the baby gets here?" he asked.

"That's it."

"I'm only eight months pregnant," Charlie said.

"This shit can't be happening man," Kyle said incredulously, looking around in utter disbelief.

"How're we supposed to survive here for a month?" Sandra asked, her voice low and empty as she stroked Audrey's hair.

"We won't have to."

Charlie squeezed her eyes shut for a second before looking over at Michael, "It's coming soon, isn't it?"

"Yes. Listen, I simply don't care what you people believe," he said, looking around at them. "And those things outside, they don't care either, they just want the child dead," he pointed at Charlie's swollen belly. "This first attack was a test of our strength. The next will be a test of our weakness. Now we can sit here and discuss it, or you can try and help me. But believe me… something much worse is on the way."

"What do we do?" Jeep asked, taking it in his stride surprisingly well.

"We need two people on the roof all the time, and we'll take shifts," Michael began.

"I'll go," Percy offered, walking out.

"Yeah…Me too," Kyle said, following behind him to the ladder that led to the roof.

"We'll need to board up these windows, in the morning; the first attack's over. And we need to be ready."

Tessa swayed slightly and she blinked, throwing a hand out to steady herself. Michael glanced at her, his eyes landing on her shoulder, "You're going to need stitches."

She looked to where he was looking and saw where not-Dylan had stabbed her. Michael's jumper that she was wearing now had a much larger stain, and it was warm against her skin, sticking to her. Now that she was looking at it, she felt the steady throbbing that matched to her heartbeat as blood was pumped out slowly. It fucking hurt.

"Oh." She grimaced slightly.

Michael asked Jeep, "Is there a first aid kit?"

He nodded, "I'll get it."

"You're going to want some privacy," Michael told her.

She just nodded, following his instructions without really thinking, heading towards the bathroom; that seemed like the best place to stitch someone up because it had running water for one, and tiles for another, which were easier to clean. But when she got in there, she walked back out, because it was dirty and the last she heard, bacteria wasn't the best thing for open cuts. She didn't feel like being infected and then having to lose her arm. She liked her arm right where it was.

She walked back towards the office, stopping at the kitchen to get a bowl of water. As she lifted her arm up to grab it, she nearly screamed as pain sliced right through her shoulder. Her other hand flew up to cup her shoulder and she winced, clenching her teeth, "Holy fuck," she panted.

Then Michael was there, grabbing the bowl for her, filling it with water before following her towards the office. That was probably as good as she was going to get privacy-wise. She really didn't want an audience as her shoulder was stitched up.

Jeep appeared in the doorway, handing Michael the first-aid kit before disappearing, probably back to Charlie. Tessa could see he was in love with the pregnant woman; his adoring eyes followed her every movement, watching her closely. When she needed something, he was here to give it to her.

Michael shut the door.

**Hey, Guys :D**

**How's it going?**

**I really hope you enjoyed this chapter. Bit sad, huh? But there wasn't much else for it, I suppose. Death's a really major topic to cover so soon in, though it's in the movie soon in, anyway, but I'm not sure I really captured or conveyed what it would feel like in Tessa's situation. Anyway, I hope you weren't too disappointed. Thanks so much for reading!**

**And thanks so much to those who reviewed, favourited and alerted! I tend to update my stories according to the general interest (expressed in reviews) that my stories receive, so I always get way too excited when I get reviews for this story, because the archive is so small, and because I just love writing this story. So, thanks so much to those who reviewed –you guys really make me want to write more :D**

**Anyway, on to the replies;**

**Watergoddesskasey: **Thank you so much! I'm glad you're enjoying it and will continue to read. I hope you enjoyed this chapter then, as well! :D Thanks so much for reviewing again for me!

**DoubleL7: **Aw, thank you so much! Seriously? It blew your mind away? Wow, thank you so, so much! I'm glad you seem to be enjoying it so much! Haha, thank you so much for reviewing again! It means so much to me, and I'm so glad you'll keep reading! And that you want me to keep writing – I hope you liked this chapter! :D

** : **Oh no, I'm so sorry then! It had to be done – Amy and Dylan had to go! I hope you didn't hate it too much! Thanks so much for taking the time to review though! It really means a lot to me!

**Haphazard Suy: **Yeah, me too! I love reading things like that, where there's detail in the small things. Sometimes, I just blast through a chapter, and I don't stop and really write about the smaller things. I try, but sometimes I forget! Great! I'm glad you think she's reasonable so far – it's really tricky for me! But thank you! I'm so glad you're interested in how I proceed with this story, and I'm glad you thought the cliffhanger was clever :D Thanks so much for reviewing again –I hope you enjoyed this chapter!

**Fanfreak4ever: **Oh, My God, thank you so much! I'm super stoked you think it's well written! Thank you so much! I'm glad you want to read more! Hopefully, you enjoyed this chapter too then :D

**Sakai213: **Gah! Thank you so much! I'm glad you enjoyed it! Tessa is definitely a toughie (it's how you know she's totally going to survive this extermination!), and yeah, she loves those kids. That's why she's so heartbroken now! I know! I'm sorry for the cliffhanger, but the chapter was getting a little long, so I was like 'yeah, there seems good to stop' :D Mean of me, huh? Haha, thanks so much for reviewing! Seriously! And I hope you liked this chapter!

**DiabloFenrirCerberus: **Aw, thank you! I'm so pleased you seem interested in reading more then, if you want me to update! Thanks so much for taking the time to review this, and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! :D

**Regin: **Haha, thank you so much! I'm so stoked you like it, love it, and…lust it? Haha, jks! Thank you so much for taking the time to review! It means so much to me and I'm so glad you seem to be interested in reading more! Hopefully, you enjoyed this chapter too!


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